Hostels in Portland

Search Portland hostels with up-to-date availability and book a hostel in Portland.

Portland is the headquarters of BootsnAll, so we are rather fond of this little city. It is a great place to live, work, go to school and play outdoors, and an excellent place to visit – especially if you are a fan of microbrews or coffee! What Portland is not, however, is full of hostels. There are, in fact, only two Portland hostels – one on either side of the Willamette River.

So, with only two hostels to choose from, why should you consider staying in a hostel when you come to Portland? First and foremost, staying in a hostel will save you oodles of money on your accommodations. Portland might not be the most expensive city to visit in the U.S., but it is always nice to save money when you can – especially if it buys you another couple of microbrews. Staying in hostels anywhere on the planet is almost always going to save you money, and that is true in Portland as well.

While some people might think of the old “youth hostel” idea when they hear the word hostel, savvy backpacker-style travelers know that the hostel of today is more often than not a place for budget travelers of all ages to crash, as well as meet and mingle. Most hostels the world over do not have age restrictions anymore, even if they use the words “youth hostel” in their name, and neither of the Portland hostels has an age limit.

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Hostels are not only good for saving money, however, they are a great place to meet up with other like-minded travelers – and this is especially true when you are traveling solo. You will likely find other people to hang out with, see the sights with, and drink a beer or two with. Even if you do not end up with a friend for life, it will probably make your Portland stay that much more interesting.

Most hostels these days have also graduated beyond the dorm-only rooms – most of them now feature a limited number of private rooms as well, so if you like the way hostels sound but really need your own four walls, that is okay. Some hostels even have private rooms with their own private bathrooms, too. Just because you have your own bedroom does not mean you will miss out on the fun, either – you can still hang out with other guests in the hostel’s common areas. Both of the hostels in Portland have some private rooms, so be sure to look into that if you are interested.

Both Portland hostels are part of Hostelling International, so you can be assured of a standard of quality in both. The property on Hawthorne is in Southeast Portland, which is a laid back area full of cute shops and great cafes, restaurants and bars. The bus system runs frequently along the major streets, so you will have no trouble getting into downtown Portland from the Hawthorne hostel. The other Portland hostel is in Northwest Portland (on the same side of the river as downtown), so can be more convenient to walking everywhere if your visit will be concentrated mainly in the downtown area. It is also close to two of Portland’s trendiest neighborhoods – NW 21st Ave. and The Pearl District. Both of these areas will require extra money in the travel budget, because in this case “trendy” means “expensive boutique shops.” Still, it can be fun to window shop!

To check out the hostels in Portland and see which one is better suited to your needs, plug your travel information into the search engine on this page. The computer will tell you which hostel has available beds when you want to visit, and you can select the location that you prefer.